Childhood Lost

Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).

Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.

Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism

(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)

"What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless."

John Stone,

UK media editor, Age of Autism

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"The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country."

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

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Wife of governor of WI: We need to ask kids, 'What happened to you?' (at the hands of your parents)

April 6, 2018, Washington, DC, The Hill: We now know the importance of trauma-informed care, but there is more work to be donehttp://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/381962-we-now-know-the-importance-of-trauma-informed-care-but-there-is
By Tonette Walker, wife of WI governor, Scott Walker
***Oprah nailed it. During her recent 60 Minutes special on childhood trauma, she concisely defined the essence of trauma-informed care so everyone can understand it. She said, “It comes down to the question of not, ‘What's wrong with you? What's wrong with that kid?’ but, ‘What happened to you,’ which is a very different question.” This shift in perspective leads to solutions that get to the root cause of children’s issues, rather than a quick reaction that often stops at punishment.
We call these traumatic events Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). There are several identified ACEs, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, mental illness of a household member, alcoholism of a household member, illegal drug use of a household member, divorce or separation of a parent, domestic violence towards a parent, and incarceration of a household member. In every corner of Wisconsin, and all across the globe, children are experiencing trauma like those above.
Research shows when a person has one ACE, they are more likely to have another two or more. The most recent national data indicate that almost 25 percent of children in the United States have experienced at least one ACE and almost 22 percent have two or more. In Wisconsin, these rates are lower than the national average, at 21.2 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively.
When trauma is experienced as a child, the unmitigated toxic stress created by these experiences can change brain chemistry, shape educational outcomes, and influence a person’s future health and well-being. …
One change was to have students begin every school day using a digital whiteboard to privately tell their teachers whether they were feeling happy, neutral, or sad — a strategy that demonstrates elder support and encourages younger generations to trust and feel more comfortable asking for help. …